Has this Taiwanese pop star got an iPad Mini?

Taiwanese pop star and racing driver 'Dreamer Jimmy' (yes, apparently that's a plausible career path) has casually shown off what appears to be an iPad Mini on his blog.

The photo shows Jimmy holding up the unannounced gadget next to a standard iPad. The only caption reads: '新玩具mini iPad,' which translates as: '[My] new toy mini iPad.'

Is it a clever Photoshop job, a Chinese knock-off or the genuine article? It certainly looks as though iOS is running on both products, and the new gizmo appears to have an Apple-esque design too. However, one small photo isn't anywhere near enough evidence to draw firm conclusions.

That said, it does tally up with recent rumours that a new iPad is on the way. Earlier this month, Taiwanese tech site Digitimes reported that Foxconn will have a new iPad ready by the end of February 2011. As a prominent member of Taiwanese pop-culture, it's quite possible that Jimmy knows the right people to get him fashionable kit earlier than everyone else.

It will be highly ironic if Apple has indeed gone for a smaller design for the next iPad, given that Steve Jobs recently described 7in tablets as 'dead on arrival' in an Apple earnings call.

Either way, CES is coming in just a few weeks, bringing all manner of other tablets based on Android, Windows 7 and maybe Windows 7 Phone. As such, 2011 is already shaping up to be a hot year for anyone looking for a new gadget to play with.

Could this be a genuine iPad Mini, or is Dreamer Jimmy taking us for a ride in his pop-fuelled racing car? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.

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34 Comments

Too small of an image to see if it's really an iPad or just a knock-off. No in-use videos either. It would be pretty easy to get that menu to display on anything.

Maybe they'll just start releasing modular little touch-screen squares to build your own size. Snap a 4x2 together for an iPhone, 6x4 for a mini iPad, 8x6 for a full iPad, 12x16 for a Macbook. Feeling adventurous? Stack a line of 8 together for an iStick with an amazing 2560x320 resolution.

As long as the price is keen. The only issue with the current iPad is price. £429 for the base model is just way too much. It should have been £299 imo - still dear for what you get, but a fair bit more affordable and would have been a more attractive prospect for those initially looking at netbooks just to have a 'smaller laptop'.

It will be highly ironic if Apple has indeed gone for a smaller design for the next iPad, given that Steve Jobs recently described 7in tablets as 'dead on arrival' in an Apple earnings call.

Whatever St. Steve of the Holy Apple speaketh shall be the truth!

If that means that 7" tablets are suddenly all the rage in a couple of months because the new iPad uses that screen size you just have to live with it. Until then they're utterly useless. So sayeth the gospel of St. Steve.

I think its fake, even though it appears to have ios running on it, if you look closely you can see 5 icons across the bottom of the screen when ios only has 4. I think the current iPad has a perfect sized screen and I hope iPad two sticks with it.

It will be highly ironic if Apple has indeed gone for a smaller design for the next iPad, given that Steve Jobs recently described 7in tablets as 'dead on arrival' in an Apple earnings call.

Whatever St. John of the Holy Apple speaketh shall be the truth!

If that means that 7" tablets are suddenly all the rage in a couple of months because the new iPad uses that screen size you just have to live with it. Until then they're utterly useless. So sayeth the gospel of St. John.

Originally Posted by M7ckI think its fake, even though it appears to have ios running on it, if you look closely you can see 5 icons across the bottom of the screen when ios only has 4. I think the current iPad has a perfect sized screen and I hope iPad two sticks with it.

Originally Posted by M7ckI think its fake, even though it appears to have ios running on it, if you look closely you can see 5 icons across the bottom of the screen when ios only has 4. I think the current iPad has a perfect sized screen and I hope iPad two sticks with it.

Apple is pretty good at playing this game of spreading rumors themselves to hype their new toys, and I can't even blame them, but have to applaud to their marketing-people for being that good actually.

That aside, Apple will release a piece of hardware people are interested in.
With lot's of 7"-tablets announced by other companies it would make kind of sense for Apple to release a piece of that size themselves. The Samsumg Galaxy Tab is well received by lots of people and why should Apple leave this market to their competitors?

Look at the many different iPod-versions available. It wouldn't surprise me to see a iPad-mini at all, but a single bad and tiny picture isn't proof for it's existence.

Originally Posted by kenco_ukAs long as the price is keen. The only issue with the current iPad is price. £429 for the base model is just way too much. It should have been £299 imo - still dear for what you get, but a fair bit more affordable and would have been a more attractive prospect for those initially looking at netbooks just to have a 'smaller laptop'.

[applefanboy] O M G... Something like my ipad but not my ipad!? Where do insert my crisp $100 bills?! WHAT?! The ipad has a dollar feeder like a pop machine and I can just put it in there?! OMFG!!!!111 I <3 you APPLE!!!![/applefanboy]